Hamilton named wealthiest British sportsman

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has been named the wealthiest British sportsman in The Sunday Times 2014 Rich List.

The 29-year-old is currently four points behind his team-mate Nico Rosberg in the drivers’ standings despite winning the last three races of the season.

The Rich List for current athletes reveals that he has added £8 million to his fortune over the last 12 months, increasing his overall wealth to £68 million.

Hamilton will be officially named as the wealthiest British sportsman next month. The list is calculated by looking at identifiable wealth, including land, property, other assets (such as art and racehorses), or significant shares in publicly quoted companies.

The 2008 world champion isn’t the only Formula 1 driver to feature at the top of the list. His former team-mate Jenson Button sits in second place. The McLaren driver, who is currently eighth in the championship, is reckoned to be worth £63 million, up by £5 million on last year’s guide.

Wayne Rooney is third on the list, £3 million behind Button, with Basketball player Steve Nash and his Manchester United team-mate Rio Ferdinand completing the top five. 2013 Wimbledon champion Andy Murray is sixth and has increased his wealth from £32 million to £40 million.

Image courtesy of Mercedes AMG Petronas

Jack Leslie

Jack Leslie is a freelance motorsport and Formula 1 journalist. He has been part of the Richland F1 team since the very start and made his F1 paddock debut for the website at the 2014 Austrian Grand Prix. Jack also writes for Car Throttle, RumbleStripNews, Formula1Blog, PureF1 and F1 Plus, as well as running a popular blog.